The Return of the Collector
by Ilex the Elder
Summary: Ash and company try to stop the Pokemon collector Jiraldan from kidnapping Suicune and Raikou.
1. Chapter 1

The Mew card fluttered to the marble floor.

"Just as the phoenix arises from the ashes, so shall I."

---

"Where shall we go now, Brock?" Misty asked as she, Brock, and Ash stood in the middle of a forest just south of Goldenrod City.

"Let's see," Brock studied the map. "Ecruteak City isn't too far away, but there's always Olivine City or Blackthorn."

"I just want to go wherever the closest Pokémon gym is so I can get another Johto League badge!" Ash exclaimed as he admired the latest badge he had won.

"Pika!" Ash's electric Pokémon agreed.

Misty rolled her eyes. "Why did I know that you going to say that?"

"Right now it looks like we'd better head for cover," Brock said as he folded the map and pointed skyward. "It looks like a storm is headed this way."

"That's odd," Misty commented as she studied the horizon. "There's lightning, but no dark clouds. Just that one lone white one."

Suddenly there was a huge thunderclap and the cloud vanished to reveal a huge, yellow, doglike Pokémon. The three of them watched in amazement as the Pokémon descended from the sky and disappeared over the hill in front of them.

"What in the world was that?" Misty exclaimed as the three stared in disbelief as the scene they had just witnessed.

"Looks like a Pokémon," Brock said.

"Let me see if Dexter knows anything," Ash said as he whipped out his Pokédex.

"Raikou. The legendary Pokémon of lightning. A unique Pokémon whose appearance is heralded by storm clouds and lightning." 

"Wow! A Raikou! I've gotta see one of those close up," Ash said excitedly. "Let's go!" 

Ash took off running down the path toward the spot where they had watched Raikou descend.

"Ash, wait!" Misty and Brock hurried after their friend, who was already halfway down the path.

--- 

"Aarghhh!"

With a cry, the Aerodactyl flew down from the sky and swooped at the man and woman who were observing its descent.

"Oh my goodness, it's so realistic!" Delia Ketchum exclaimed as the robotic Pokémon buzzed over her head.

"Pretty impressive, isn't it?" Professor Oak smiled as the fake Aerodactyl whizzed by. The Prehistoric Pokemon Museum at the Ruins of Alph was opening the following day, and he had been able to convince the curator to let him and Delia have a sneak peek. Since he had invited Ash and his friends to the opening, Professor Oak had also invited Delia along so she could be reunited with her son. It had been weeks since she had last seen him.

A tall young man in a lab coat came up behind them. "What do you think?" 

"It's amazing. I'm impressed."

"Delia Ketchum, I'd like to introduce you to a former student of mine. This is Foster." The two shook hands.

"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Ketchum. Professor Oak told me that you're Ash's mother."

"Yes, I'm so excited about seeing my baby again. I just can't wait." The three of them headed down the hall.

"Normally, we would be pretty busy here," Foster explained as they entered the control room. "But everyone else is busy getting ready for tomorrow's opening, so I'm afraid there's not much to see today."

"What are these?" Delia asked as she wandered over to the multiple television screens on the far wall.

"They're security cameras," Professor Oak explained. "But we also use them for observing Pokémon in the grounds and waters surrounding the area. That way we won't disturb them."

"I've got some business to attend to back at the excavation site. You know your way around here, Professor, so I'll leave you two alone." 

"Nice to meet you, Foster," Delia said as the young scientist left. "He seems like a nice young man."

"He's also a brilliant scientist," Professor Oak remarked as he picked up one of the fossilized bones that lay on the nearby laboratory bench and started piecing together a skeleton. "One of my best students."

Delia turned back to the television screens. One in particular had caught her attention. 

"Professor, what's this Pokémon with the blue tendrils?"

"Oh, it's probably one of the Omanyte or Omastars that live in the reservoir. They're actually fairly common around here."

"I didn't realize that they were so big."

"Well, compared to other Pokémon they're not really that big." He was so intent on piecing together the ancient Pokémon skeleton that he was only paying half-attention to what she was saying. "The lack of an internal skeleton and the curved shell on their back limits their growth."

"What curved shell?"

Puzzled, he turned around to see what Delia was talking about. His eyes opened wide in disbelief as he saw a huge, blue, doglike Pokémon with purple and white streamers emanating from its head on the television screen that she was watching.

Professor Oak dropped the bone he was holding. "Suicune." 

"Suicune?"

"It's the legendary Pokémon of water. Supposedly it has the ability to purify reservoirs." Transfixed by the image, he wandered over to the screen where Delia stood. "It's also extremely elusive. If I didn't see it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it." 

"It's beautiful. I'd love to see what it looks like up close."

He had been thinking the same thing. "Let's go, then." 

---

"I don't get it! Where is it?" Ash was frantically combing through the bushes where they saw Raikou descend from the sky. "It landed right here."

"Maybe it ran away after it landed," suggested Brock.

"Yeah, but don't you think we would've seen it if it did that? That thing was huge!" Ash was now looking up into the trees.

"What are you going to do if we find it, Ash?" Misty asked. "Capture it?" 

"Yeah! If I had a Raikou…"

"Hold on, Ash," said Brock. "First of all, Raikou is huge, not to mention dangerous."

"That's okay. Since it's an electric type, then your Onix should be able to handle it. If not, then Bulbasaur or Chikorita can take care of him."

Misty spoke up. "Wait just a second, Ash. Didn't you listen to what Dexter said? Raikou is unique. That means that there's only one in the entire world. You can't just go around capturing it. Besides, if it's one of the legendary Pokémon, it's probably pretty powerful. Remember Entei?"

Ash stopped in his tracks. "Oh." A few months ago Ash had nearly been killed while trying to rescue his mom from Entei, the legendary dog of fire. "I guess you're right, Misty."

"Thank you."

"But I'd still like to see what it looks like up close, anyway," Ash took off down the path.

Misty shook her head. Sometimes Ash was so stubborn that it drove her crazy.

--- 

Professor Oak winced as he helped Delia out of the jeep. 

"Stupid lumbago," he muttered under his breath. He was going to have to take some aspirin when they got back to the lab; the bumpy ride to the reservoir had aggravated his back.

"Where would Suicune be?" Delia asked as she looked around. "Oh, wait. Never mind."

Across the reservoir, in plain view, stood Suicune. The Pokémon dipped its paw into the water and the reservoir suddenly turned sparkling clear.

Professor Oak grabbed Delia's arm and they quickly ducked behind some bushes to watch the Pokémon.

"If it knew we were here, it would disappear in an instant," he whispered to her. 

Suddenly, Suicune raised its head and looked around.

"It must sense that we're here," Professor Oak said. 

"What's that noise?" Delia asked. She heard a high-pitched whine that seemed to be getting louder. As she turned in the direction of the noise, she saw a gold sphere about the size of a Poké ball hover over Suicune.

Sensing danger, Suicune turned to run. Suddenly a flash of white light shot out of the sphere and enveloped the Pokémon. Suicune let out a roar of pain as the light surrounded it. Arching its back, it tried desperately to escape. Professor Oak and Delia watched in horror as Suicune fell to the earth and lay still. The light disappeared and the gold ball flew back into the sky from where it came. 

"What just happened, Professor?" Delia asked in disbelief.

"I don't know, but that Pokémon is hurt. I've got to see if I can help it in any way." With Delia at his heels, Professor Oak ran to the injured Pokémon's side. He knelt down beside Suicune and placed his hand on the Pokémon's massive chest.

"Is it…" Delia asked as she held her breath.

"No, it's still alive."

"Who in the world would do such a thing?" she said angrily.

"I don't know, Delia, but…" Professor Oak stopped in mid-sentence as a dark shadow fell across them. He looked up in amazement to see that above them hovered another gold ball much like the first one that had stunned Suicune. The only difference was that this one was the size of a small house. Before he had time to react, a flash of white light enveloped the three of them. Searing pain like a Pikachu's thundershock magnified by ten tore through his body. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Delia's body being jerked by the electric shock. The electric shock had effectively paralyzed him, so he was helpless to rescue her or the Pokémon. Finally, the pain was too intense and he lost consciousness. 


	2. Chapter 2

A thunderclap echoed through the forest.

"Hey, sounds like it's up ahead!" Ash shouted to his friends. As Brock and Misty tried to catch up with him, Ash darted into a clearing and gasped in amazement. Standing majestically atop a huge rock was… 

"Raikou!" 

Startled by Ash's appearance, lightning emanated from the Pokémon's massive body and shot in all directions.

"Ash!" Misty watched in horror as one of Raikou's lightning bolts headed straight for Ash. In an instant, Pikachu leapt in front of his trainer and absorbed the lightning bolt into its own body. Recharged by the shock, Pikachu jumped in front of Ash, ready to defend his friend. 

"Ash, get out of the…" Brock ducked to avoid being struck by a lightning bolt that Raikou sent flying in his direction. The bolt hit the tree next to him, reducing it to splinters.

Clutching Togepi, Misty darted behind a tree. 

__

Water Poké_mon are useless against electric types,_ she thought helplessly as she watched Ash and Pikachu dodge another lighting blast. _I can't send any of my Pok_é_mon out to help them._

"Oh, Togepi, what can I do?"

--- 

Suicune lay encased in a glowing sphere in the middle of what appeared to be a seventeenth-century salon while the Pokemon's captor stood in the doorway, admiring the newest addition to his collection. 

"Ah, Suicune, you truly are beautiful. The paintings don't do you justice." 

The man strode across the Aubusson carpet to where the unconscious Pokémon lay imprisoned. He started walking slowly around the sphere, admiring Suicune from all angles. He was so intent on examining his prize that for a moment he didn't notice what appeared to be a woman's shoe lying on the floor just behind the glowing sphere.

"Well, what have we here?"

He peered around the edge of the sphere and discovered that the shoe belonged to an auburn-haired woman lying face down on the rug. Sprawled next to her was a gray-haired man in a lab coat.

"Oh, my. I wasn't expecting guests."

---

Professor Oak slowly opened his eyes and found himself staring at an ornate ceiling painting.

__

Where in the world am I?

The pain was still incredible. It felt like a million needles were being jabbed into his body repeatedly. He tried to move but discovered that he was still paralyzed from the electric shock. After a minute, the pain started to subside, and he made an attempt to sit up. 

__

Delia? Where's Delia?

He then saw her lying unconscious on the floor about ten feet away from him. He tried to stand up but his legs were still numb from the effects of the giant sphere's ray. Crawling, he dragged himself to where she lay. 

Frantically, he shook her shoulder. "Delia, wake up."

Her eyelids fluttered open, then quickly closed again as she winced in pain. "Hurts…" 

"I know," he said sympathetically. "It'll go away in a minute or two."

She opened her eyes again. "Where..?"

"I don't know." By now the feeling had returned to his legs, so Professor Oak decided to take a chance and stood up. Beyond the alcove where they lay was an enormous baroque salon whose ceilings and walls were adorned with gilt cherubs and many expensive paintings, sculptures, and tapestries. In the center of the salon's high ceiling was a dazzling chandelier, directly underneath which was Suicune. Professor Oak started towards the trapped Pokémon and immediately fell backwards.

"What the…?" He stretched out his hand and to his amazement discovered that there was an invisible barrier across the arched doorway of the alcove. "It's some kind of a force field," he murmured to himself as he ran his hand along the invisible boundary.

By now Delia had recovered from the aftereffects of the capture ray and sat up. As Professor Oak helped her to her feet, the large gilt-encrusted doors at the opposite end of the salon opened and a tall, elegantly-dressed young man entered the room. Smiling in their direction, he crossed the room to where Delia and Professor Oak were imprisoned.

"Quite impressive, isn't it? It's an accurate reproduction of one of the salons at Versailles, although the paintings and sculptures were my idea. That and your accommodations, although I did try to carry over some of the baroque décor."

"Who are you?" Professor Oak demanded.

"Oh, that's right. We haven't been formally introduced, have we?" The man bowed in their direction. "My name is Jiraldan, although most people refer to me simply as the Collector. I must say that it is a pleasure to have you as guests in my humble abode." He cast an appreciative glance at Delia. "A great pleasure, indeed." 

Coming closer to her, Jiraldan inclined his head towards Delia. "And now that I have told you my name, you mustn't keep me in suspense any longer, my dear. I certainly would like to know your name."

"Delia."

"Delia? What a lovely name. Just like the fair maid in Robert Dodsley's poem." He began to quote:

"Beneath the myrtle's secret shade,

When Delia blessed my eyes;

At first I viewed the lovely maid

In silent soft surprise…."

Jiraldan stopped in mid-quote when he noticed Professor Oak scowling at him. "Ah, yes, Professor Oak. I'm quite familiar with you."

"We've never met," Professor Oak said curtly.

"I know, but I've spent so much time reading your scientific essays that I feel as if I've known you for quite a long time. Actually, I owe you a debt of gratitude. After all, it was your work that provided me with the necessary knowledge to obtain my prize. Yours and my brother's." 

"Your brother's?" Professor Oak was confused.

"Yes. One of your colleagues, Professor Spencer Hale, is my younger brother."

"Spencer is your brother?" Delia gasped in disbelief.

"Yes, although we haven't spoken in years. We have vastly differing views on Pokémon. Spencer prefers to waste his time studying legendary Pokémon in the wild, while I prefer to study legendary Pokémon in the comfort of my own home." 

"Pokémon are living creatures! They're not meant to be objects on display for your amusement! They desire and deserve their freedom just as much as we do," Professor Oak said hotly.

"I'm afraid I can't accommodate either one of you as far as that, Professor," Jiraldan said. "But don't worry. You shall soon have company."

"What do you mean?" Delia asked.

"If all goes as planned, Suicune will soon be joined by the legendary dog of lightning…"

"Raikou." 

"Very good, Professor," said Jiraldan with amusement. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to prepare for the latest addition to my collection."

--- 

As the elaborate doors opened once again, Delia and Professor Oak scrambled to their feet.

"Do I look all right?" Delia whispered as she straightened her clothes and fluffed her hair.

"Yes, you look fine, but why…" 

Delia shushed him as Jiraldan approached. 

"Well, hello again. I trust the accommodations are to your liking."

"You know," Delia said, smiling broadly in his direction and batting her eyes, "I was just telling the Professor that that is such a beautiful painting over there." She pointed to a painting on a wall on the opposite side of the room. 

"It's Buttacci's _The Garden of Delights,_" said Jiraldan, pleased that Delia had taken an interest in his collection.

"It's a shame that I can't get a closer look at it. It's absolutely lovely," said Delia admiringly.

"Well, I think I can arrange that." Jiraldan pressed several buttons on a panel next to the alcove wall and with a flash of light, the force field fell. "This way, my dear." Delia stepped into the salon. "Sorry, Professor. Three's a crowd, you know," continued Jiraldan as he reprogrammed the force field.

Like all collectors, Jiraldan was enormously proud of his collection and took great pride in showing it off to guests, particularly attractive ones like Delia. He showed her every object in the huge room, taking time to explain the history and significance of each one while Delia "oohed" and "aahed" admiringly. After he had finished with his discussion on the importance of the final painting in the room, he turned to Delia.

"Well, what do you think?"

"It's all so impressive. It's just like a museum."

"I'm pleased that you enjoyed our little tour. But now, I'm afraid that it's time for you to return to your friend. Perhaps we can persuade him to join us next time." Delia watched over his shoulder as Jiraldan entered the code to release the force field. To her surprise, he picked up her hand and lightly kissed it as he led her back into her cell. "Until next time, my dear." 

As soon as Jiraldan had left the room, Delia turned to Professor Oak.

"Okay, the code that releases the force field is 1638. To put it back up is 1715. The next time he lets me out, I'll find some way to…" She stopped in mid-sentence when she noticed that Professor Oak was glaring at her. 

"What's wrong?" she asked, puzzled.

"While I'll admit that what you just did was a very clever and brave thing to do, it was also quite dangerous. How did you know that he wouldn't have tried to hurt you?" After witnessing her kidnapping at the hands of Entei a few months ago, Professor Oak had developed a strong protective instinct towards Delia.

She smiled reassuringly at him. "Well, don't worry. He didn't. Besides, he's far too interested in showing off his collection."

"That's not all he's interested in," Professor Oak continued with an obvious tinge of jealousy in his voice. 

Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of a high-pitched whine not unlike the same sound they had heard when the golden sphere had snapped up Suicune. The pair watched in amazement as a panel in the ornate ceiling slid open and a huge golden sphere floated downward to rest next to Suicune. The gold ball opened to reveal a large gold Pokémon not unlike a tiger with gold and white streamers emanating from its head. 

"It's Raikou," Professor Oak whispered in awe.

There was a dull _thud_ as something fell out of the ball behind Raikou. Professor Oak and Delia couldn't see what the object was since they were on the opposite side of the room. As the gold ball floated back upward, the pedestal upon which Raikou lay started glowing, suspending the unconscious Pokémon in a sphere of glowing light.

"Oh, Raikou. You simply are extraordinary. Such magnificence!" Jiraldan had returned to admire his latest prize. As he made his way towards Raikou, he saw what appeared to be several legs behind the glowing sphere.

__

Not again, he thought as he discovered that the pile of legs belonged to three unconscious teenagers – two dark-haired boys lying face down and a red-haired girl lying face-up. _I really do need to speak to my engineers about designing these capture spheres to collect only Pok_é_mon, not humans._

Hmm, she looks familiar, he thought as he studied the red-haired girl's face. _Now where have I seen her before?_

With his foot, he flipped over the smaller of the two boys that was lying next to the girl.

Now he remembered.


	3. Chapter 3

"Ash? Ash? Can you hear me?"

Ash slowly opened his eyes and found himself staring into his mother's face.

"Mom? Is it time for school alrea…" Ash winced in pain.

"Oh, baby." Delia held her son close to her and started stroking his hair. "Just be brave. The pain will go away in a couple of minutes." 

When the pain had subsided and he had feeling in his body again, Ash opened his eyes once more. He saw Professor Oak tending to a semiconscious Misty, and Brock, who was awake but still trying to shake off the effects of the paralyzing ray, sitting slumped against the wall.

"What happened? Where are we?"

"I believe I can answer that question for you, O Chosen One."

Ash jumped to his feet. "You!" 

"I must admit that this is a pleasant surprise, our meeting again like this."

"Let us go, you…" Ash lunged at Jiraldan and crashed headlong into the invisible force field.

Jiraldan shook his head. "I honestly still don't believe why you were the Chosen One."

Brock restrained his friend. "Easy, Ash."

"Why did you capture us?" Misty asked Jiraldan. 

"I wasn't intending to capture you and your friends, young lady. I was interested in that," he said, pointing at Raikou. "Although now that you're here, I insist that you stay and enjoy my hospitality for a while."

The doorbell's chime echoing throughout the massive room ended their conversation.

"Excuse me, today's my butler's day off. Enjoy yourselves." 

As Jiraldan left the room, Ash whipped out a Poké ball.

"I know how to break through that force field! Go, Cyndaquil!" With a flash of light, Ash's fire mouse Pokemon appeared. "Cyndaquil, use your Flamethrower!"

"Ash, wait!" Misty ducked as the flames bounced off of the force field and back towards the occupants of the alcove. 

"Oops, sorry Misty. Cyndaquil, return!" Ash recalled his Pokémon and pointed at Pikachu. "Pikachu, short out that force field!"

"Pika!" Pikachu let loose with a powerful Thunderbolt, but to everyone's dismay the bolt's energy was absorbed into the force field.

"Grrr!" Ash growled in frustration. "Totodile, go!" The water Pokémon appeared with a joyous leap.

"Dile!" 

"Totodile, use your water gun! Together with Pikachu's Thunderbolt, we should be able to short out that force field!"

"Well, looks like Ash is using his head for once," Misty commented to Brock. "Ash actually remembered that water conducts electricity."

But even the combined effort of Totodile and Pikachu, the force field still remained intact.

"Totodile, return." Disappointed, Ash recalled his Pokémon. "It's no use. How are we gonna break through that thing?"

"Actually, I have an idea."

All eyes turned to Delia.

"It's not as dramatic as my little pumpkin's Pokémon," Delia said as Ash turned bright red. "But I think it might work."

--- 

"James, will you look at the size of this place?" Jessie exclaimed in amazement as she, James, and Meowth stood on the doorstep of the enormous mansion.

"Actually," James sniffed, "this is close to the size of our summer cottage."

"Shaddup, Rich Boy," Meowth snapped. "We're here to make a delivery for the Boss, not…" 

The three stopped bickering as the door opened.

"Yes? Can I help you?"

"Yes," said Jessie haughtily. "We have an important delivery for the owner of this incredibly huge house, so quit wasting our time and take us to him right now." Jessie had assumed that the man answering the door was the butler.

"I am the owner of this incredibly huge house," Jiraldan answered coldly.

"Oh." Jessie's face turned bright red. 

"Our boss asked us to give this to you," James said, handing Jiraldan a Poké ball. "It's a very rare Pokemon. A Dragonite."

"Thank you," Jiraldan said, taking the Poké ball from James. 

Jiraldan studied the trio for a moment. "Haven't we met before? You look familiar."

"Would you wanna remember a face like that?" Meowth chimed in.

Jiraldan turned to Meowth in astonishment. "You can talk!"

"Well, of course I can talk, mister. It doesn't take a genius to figure that out."

"A talking Pokémon, how wonderful," Jiraldan gushed. He turned to Jessie and James. "That Pokémon would be an unique addition to my collection. How much do you want for it?"

Meowth was indignant. "I'm not for sal…" 

Jessie clapped her hand over Meowth's mouth. "Sorry, sometimes Meowth just doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut," she said, smiling broadly at Jiraldan. "Excuse us for just a second while we consider your offer."

"Jess, what are you doing?" James whispered.

"Solving our money problems," Jessie whispered back. 

Jessie, her hand still clamped tightly on Meowth's mouth, hissed at the Pokémon. "Not a word out of you, Meowth, unless you want to use up all your nine lives at once." Jessie then turned her attention back to Lawrence. "Judging from your excellent taste in Pokémon and your very large, beautiful house, it's obvious that you're a man of great wealth and refinement. So I'm sure that you can easily afford the price of one million dollars for this exceptionally rare and valuable Pokémon."

"One million dollars?!" James and Meowth exclaimed in unison.

Jiraldan raised an eyebrow. "I may be wealthy, but I'm not stupid." Before Jessie could make a counter offer, he shut the door in their faces.

"Jessie, I can't believe what you just did! You just tried to sell Meowth!" James exclaimed in indignation.

"Hey, I'm worth a lot more than a million dollars!" Meowth snapped as he broke free of Jessie's grasp and the three began fighting.

--- 

When Jiraldan returned to the salon where the legendary Pokémon were being held, the mood had changed dramatically. Entering the room, he saw the occupants of the cell in the alcove huddled around Delia, who was lying on the floor with her eyes closed.

"Mom, please open your eyes!"

"Oh, Mrs. Ketchum…"

"How bad is she, Professor?"

"Not good, I'm afraid."

"What's going on here?" Jiraldan asked as he approached the somber scene.

Without looking up from his examination of Delia, Professor Oak answered their captor. "She collapsed a couple of minutes ago and now she's going into shock. It's some sort of delayed reaction to that capture ray you used on us."

"How do I know this isn't some sort of ruse?" Jiraldan said suspiciously.

Professor Oak, eyes blazing, looked up. "This woman is _dying_! I can barely find her pulse. We have to get her help right away before it's too late."

At the word _dying_, Ash went into hysterics. "Dying? Oh no, Mom!" Misty put her arm around Ash and tried to console him.

Jiraldan was silent for a moment, contemplating whether or not to believe Professor Oak.

Professor Oak turned to the teenager behind him. "Brock, you know CPR, don't you?"

With an alarmed expression, Jiraldan began entering the code in the control panel that operated the force field. "All right, everyone back away from her. Up against the wall." Professor Oak and the three teens exchanged glances and moved against the walls of the alcove.

As the force field fell, Jiraldan entered the cell and knelt beside the unconscious Delia. As he lifted her hand, Jiraldan was immediately jumped from behind by Professor Oak and Brock. Opening her eyes, Delia quickly pulled her hand away and leaped to her feet. 

"Bulbasaur, I choose you!" Ash released his grass-type Pokémon.

"Bulba!"

"Bulbasaur, use your sleep powder to take care of this guy!"

"Bulbasaur!" A blast of sparkling pink powder shot out of the bulb on the Pokémon's back and went straight into Jiraldan's face. He yawned and sank to the floor.

"All right! Great job, Bulbasaur!"

As everyone stepped out of the alcove, Delia entered Jiraldan's code in the control panel next to the door.

"I didn't realize you were such a good actor, Professor. You almost had me convinced that I was ill." With a bright flash, the force field reappeared. "There."

"What shall we do now?" asked Misty.

"Let's see if we can help free Suicune and Raikou," said Professor Oak.

The five made several attempts to locate a switch or some sort of device that would release the Pokémon from the glowing spheres that held them captive, but their efforts yielded nothing.

Ash reached for a Poké ball. "Hey, I know. Remember what worked last time?"

"Yeah, but you don't have Charizard," Misty replied.

"But I do have Pikachu and Totodile. Let's go, Totodile!"

"Totodile!"

"Pikachu, you use your Thundershock to try to help Raikou, and Totodile, you try to free Suicune with your water gun!" Both Pokémon attacked the glowing spheres with vigor, but to no avail. "What'll we do now?" a dejected Ash wondered as he recalled Totodile.

"There must be some sort of master control that operates the spheres," said Brock. "Why don't we split up and look around?"

"That's a great idea, Brock," said Misty enthusiastically.

"Okay, let's do it! Professor Oak, you stay with my mom. The rest of us will go find a way to free Raikou and Suicune." 

As Ash started out of the room, Delia grabbed him by his shirt collar. "Now hang on just a second, young man. That sounds like a pretty dangerous idea to me. I'm not going to let you wander off and get lost or hurt."

"But Mom…" Ash protested.

"It's all right, Mrs. Ketchum. We'll look out for Ash," Brock assured her.

"We'll make sure he doesn't do anything stupid or impulsive like he normally does," said Misty.

"Hey! What do you mean by that? I'm not impul…"

Misty slapped her hand over Ash's mouth. "Don't worry, Mrs. Ketchum. We'll take care of him. Come on, Ash." With a protesting Ash in tow, Misty and Brock set off down the hall.

"Come on, Delia," said Professor Oak, taking her hand. "Let's go see if we can find a way to help these Pokémon." The two went off down the opposite hallway.

---

Jiraldan awoke to find himself staring at an ornate ceiling. Looking around, he realized that he was in the cell in the alcove and his prisoners were gone. Quickly glancing out, he was relieved to discover that Raikou and Suicune were still in the adjacent salon. 

Standing up, he reached for one of the gilt cherubs that adorned the walls of the alcove. Sliding it aside, he pressed a small red button and the force field fell.

--- 

"What is this place?" Delia asked as the two of them opened yet another door in the long hallway.

"Looks like a control room of some sort," said Professor Oak as he sat down at the computer in the center of the room and started clicking open several files. "There might be something here that controls the system that's holding the Pokémon." 

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Delia asked, looking over his shoulder.

"Watch the door and let me know if someone's coming down the hall."

Delia stuck her head outside the door and peered into the hallway. It seemed to stretch for miles in both directions. The walls along the darkened hallway were interspersed with illuminated alcoves that contained various works of art: sculptures, etchings, miniatures, and paintings. One painting in particular caught Delia's eye, so she wandered down the hall to take a closer look. Delia recognized the subject instantly: it was a blue doglike Pokémon rising from the foaming waters of the ocean, surrounded by angels and cherubs. 

"Suicune," she whispered.

She was so engrossed in the painting that she didn't hear the footsteps behind her.


	4. Chapter 4

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

Before Delia had time to react, a hand clamped over her mouth and another hand seized her arm. 

"You had me so worried earlier, Delia. I really did believe that you were ill," Jiraldan whispered in her ear. "You can't imagine how relieved I am to see you up and about."

Delia struggled to escape and viciously dug the heel of her shoe into Jiraldan's foot. Cursing, he tightened his grip on her.

"Now no more of that, my dear," he hissed as he pulled her closer to him. "If you value your son's life, you will calm down and do as I exactly as I say. Do you understand?"

Delia nodded reluctantly. 

"Good. Now let's go reunite you with your son."

--- 

"Whoa, what is this place?" Ash asked as they opened a door at the end of the long hallway.

Behind the door was a huge room that resembled a medieval Gothic chapel, except the stone floor was marked like the floor of a Pokémon gym. At the end of the room, under the stained glass rosette window was a huge golden door adorned with what appeared to be images of Pokémon. 

"Misty, look!" exclaimed Brock.

Instead of stained glass windows, the spaces under the tall pointed arches lining the walls were filled with Pokémon of all shapes and sizes. Each Pokémon was suspended in a glowing sphere just like Raikou and Suicune. 

Misty pointed to the Pokémon in the nearest archway. "Look. It's a Dragonair."

"And there's a Jynx," said Brock as he pointed to the Pokémon in the opposite arch.

"And there's a Clefable," Ash gasped. 

"It's incredible," Misty whispered in awe. "It's just like a church, but…"

"Actually, it's a reproduction of the Cathedral of Notre Dame. Though on a much smaller scale, of course."

The three teens turned in surprise and saw Jiraldan standing with Delia in the balcony at the far end of the gymnasium. 

"Ash!" Delia broke free of his grasp and made an attempt to run, but Jiraldan lunged for her and grabbed her arm.

"Mom!" Ash ran toward the end of the gymnasium where the balcony stood.

Jiraldan addressed Brock and Misty. "If you don't want to see anything happen to the mother of the Chosen One, I suggest you stop your young friend immediately." 

Ash stopped in his tracks and glared at the man who was holding his mother captive.

"Let go of my mom!"

"I will…eventually. But first we have a score to settle." He forced Delia into a chair next to him. "Even though I hold you and your friends responsible for destroying my flying fortress the last time we met," He pointed his finger at Ash. "I hold you solely responsible for the loss of my prize…Lugia." 

"Lugia was never yours in the first place!" Misty shouted angrily.

"Pokémon aren't objects to be collected!" said Brock.

"I'm afraid I disagree with you, young man. You say that Pokémon aren't objects, but then why do you use them to fight?"

"That's different!" Ash snapped.

"How so? In either case, the Pokémon's feelings don't matter. The Pokémon does the battling; it's the one that gets injured, yet the trainer doesn't feel any pain."

"That's where you're wrong. The trainer and the Pokémon are a team. We battle together," said Ash.

"It's the trainer's responsibility to look out for their Pokémon and take care of it. A good trainer would never let their Pokémon battle until they are seriously injured," said Brock.

"Pokémon do have feelings. They love us and we love them in return," said Misty, cuddling Togepi to her.

"How touching, young lady. But I'm afraid you're wrong about one Pokémon in particular," Jiraldan smiled as he pressed a button on the control panel in the balcony.

The doors at the other end of the stadium opened to reveal a huge silver catlike Pokémon.

"Mewtwo?" Ash gasped. 

"That can't be Mewtwo! That's Giovanni's Pokémon," Misty said, blinking her eyes in disbelief.

"Where do you think Giovanni gets the money to finance his operations?" Jiraldan said slyly.

"You?" said Brock.

"Yes. The two of us have a rather successful business partnership. Giovanni's Team Rocket steals rare and valuable Pokémon to add to my collection, and in return I provide the financing to keep Team Rocket in operation. All the Pokémon you see here are courtesy of Giovanni's minions," Jiraldan said as he waved his hand in the direction of the Pokémon encased underneath the arches of the stadium.

"Why you…" Ash started towards Jiraldan again but was restrained by Brock and Misty.

"Getting angry will just make things worse, Ash," Brock said as he struggled to keep a grip on Ash's arm.

"Listen to your level-headed friend," Jiraldan continued. "Besides, there's a better way to settle our old score."

"I challenge you to a Pokémon battle!" Ash shouted.

"Wonderful. I was hoping you'd say that," Jiraldan beamed as he started manipulating the switches on the control panel. "Although this may look like Mewtwo, it isn't. Meet Mew Prime, the precursor to Mewtwo." Mew Prime crackled to life and stepped out of the shadows. "This was the first prototype in the attempt to create a Pokémon superior to Mew. A little gift from Giovanni in gratitude for providing the financing for reconstructing the laboratory facilities on Cinnabar Island. You know how important it is to us collectors to have the 'first edition'," Jiraldan chuckled. "But don't be fooled. Even though this may not be Mewtwo, it's still just as powerful. In some ways it's actually superior. Observe." Jiraldan flipped a switch and Mew Prime started moving mechanically towards the three teens.

"It's a robot!" Brock exclaimed.

"Actually, it's closer to a cyborg; half-living, half-mechanical. But the best part is that unlike Mewtwo, there are no messy emotions to deal with. Mew Prime will obey my every command unquestioningly."

"That's disgusting!" Misty exclaimed. "Pokémon are just things to you. Objects for you to manipulate and put on display. You don't care about their feelings at all. All you care about is yourself and your precious collection!"

"Oh my dear, you make it sound as if I'm some sort of heartless fiend," Jiraldan said mockingly.

"You said it. I didn't," Misty shot back.

Jiraldan turned to Brock. "How in the world do you put up with these two hot-headed children?"

Ash was ready to explode. "Come on!" he shouted. "Let's start the battle!"

"Certainly. Which Pokémon will you choose, O Chosen One?"

"I choose Pikachu!" Sparks started flying from Pikachu's cheeks.

"And I choose Poliwhirl!" Misty shouted as she threw her Poké ball and Poliwhirl appeared.

"Go, Onix!" Brock's giant rock Pokémon appeared with a roar.

"Oh, three on one. That's not fair at all, is it?" Jiraldan said as Mew Prime advanced towards the Pokémon and their trainers. "But since I'm so eager to test Mew Prime's abilities before adding it to my permanent collection, I'll allow it. Now the hard part is deciding which Pokémon to deal with first." Jiraldan's gaze fell on Misty's Poliwhirl. "Let's start with something simple. Mew Prime, Thundershock!"

A huge electric blast shot out of the guns on Mew Prime's paws, sending the water Pokémon crashing to the ground.

"Poliwhirl!" Misty ran to her injured Pokémon and cradled it in her arms.

"That was too easy," Jiraldan said in bored disgust. "No challenge whatsoever."

"Onix! Wrap yourself around that thing!" Brock's rock snake Pokémon advanced on Mew Prime and wrapped it in its powerful body. "Electric shocks won't work on rock-type Pokémon."

"True," said Jiraldan as he flipped a different switch. "But Mew Prime has more than just electric attacks at its disposal." A blast of water shot out of the cannons on Mew Prime's paws, causing Onix to roar in pain and release its grip on Mew Prime. As Onix crashed to the floor, Ash stepped forward.

"Pikachu! Thundershock now!" The water shooting out of Mew Prime acted as a conduit for the electric shock delivered by Pikachu, causing the robotic Pokémon to reel backwards. 

"Clever move, O Chosen One," Jiraldan said grudgingly as sparks started flying from Mew Prime's paws. "But not clever enough. Mew Prime, Psybeam." A rainbow-colored beam emanated from Mew Prime's eyes and enveloped Pikachu. The confused Pokémon staggered and collapsed.

"Pikachu! Get up!" Growling, Pikachu slowly got to its feet.

"Well, looks like we have a worthy opponent after all. Let's see how your little Pokémon fares against another type of attack, shall we? Mew Prime, Flamethrower!"

"Pikachu, Agility!" Pikachu quickly leapt out of the way of the fire blast that came out of Mew Prime's mouth. 

"Mew Prime, Ice Beam!" 

"Pikachu, jump out of the way!" Pikachu darted out of the way of Mew Prime's Ice Beam.

"Mew Prime, Poison Gas attack!" Before Pikachu had time to react, a cloud of black-green gas shot out of Mew Prime's mouth and enveloped Pikachu. Choking, Ash leapt into the center of the cloud and snatched the unconscious Pikachu away from the noxious vapors.

"Stop! Stop hurting Ash and Pikachu!" Delia made an attempt to grab Jiraldan's arm, but he flung her backwards into her chair. 

"Unless you want to watch your son and his Pokémon die, I suggest you sit back down right now." 

Delia reluctantly obeyed.

As Ash lay coughing on the gym floor, Jiraldan grinned malevolently. "And now my dear Chosen One…you and your friends accuse me of not having any feelings towards Pokémon. In an ironic twist, my Mew Prime is a Pokémon that has no feelings towards humans. Allow me to demonstrate. Mew Prime, Thundershock." 

A burst of electricity shot out of Mew Prime's paws and hit Ash, causing him to moan in pain.

"Just think, that was the lowest setting," Jiraldan gloated. "Now you have a taste of what your Pokémon feels when you send it out to battle."

Misty ran to Ash and threw herself between Mew Prime and her friend. "If you want to hurt Ash, then you'll have to go through me!"

"If you insist, my dear." Jiraldan turned the dial on the control panel to the next setting. Both Ash and Misty screamed in pain as another electric burst shot out from Mew Prime's paws.

"Stop it! Why are you doing this?" Brock shouted.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to leave you out." Another electric blast from Mew Prime sent Brock to his knees. 

Ash slowly got up and faced Jiraldan. "Leave them alone! I'm the one you want! I'm the one who kept you from capturing Lugia!"

"My, Delia, you certainly have a brave son. You should be proud," Jiraldan said as he turned the dial to the next setting. Ash screamed in agony as Mew Prime's electric shock pulsed through his body. "That was for causing me to lose Moltres." Before Ash had time to brace himself, another shock tore through him. "And that was for Zapdos." Ash dropped to his knees as the third shock hit him. "Articuno." As Ash's body contorted from the intense shock, Jiraldan turned the dial on the control panel to the highest setting. 

"And now your final destiny awaits, O Chosen One! This is for Lugia!" 

As Delia watched in horror, Jiraldan reached for the button that would cause Mew Prime to deliver the fatal electroshock. 


	5. Chapter 5

"No!" Delia lunged forward and grabbed his arm. "I won't let you hurt my son!" 

Jiraldan was surprised by her strength as she pulled his arm away from the control panel and the two briefly struggled. Quickly regaining control, he knocked Delia to the floor.

"You shouldn't have done that, my dear," Jiraldan said in a chilling voice as he advanced menacingly towards her.

"Excuse me."

Jiraldan turned and was immediately felled by a right hook from Professor Oak.

As Jiraldan toppled to the floor next to Delia, Professor Oak moaned and clutched his hand. "My hand! I think I broke my hand!" 

Wide-eyed with amazement, Delia hastened to her rescuer's side. "Professor, are you all right?" 

Cursing under his breath, he nodded. 

A shrill scream from the gym floor caused them both to turn their heads. Racing to the edge of the balcony, Delia gasped in horror at the sight of her son being blasted repeatedly by jolts of intense electricity from Mew Prime's paws. The electric shock that Pikachu had sent earlier into the guns on Mew Prime's paws had shorted out the system.

Misty and Brock tried to pull Ash away from Mew Prime, but the force of the electric blasts knocked them both to the ground in pain.

"PIKACHU!!!" 

Regaining consciousness, Pikachu leapt in front of Ash and tried to absorb as much of the electricity as it could.

"The switch," Delia yelled at Professor Oak. "We've got to turn it off!" Together they frantically searched the control panel on the edge of the balcony for anything that looked like an off switch. After what seemed like an eternity, Delia finally located it and flipped it. Both Mew Prime and Ash fell to the floor.

"Ash!" Delia nearly tripped over Jiraldan's prone body in her haste to get to her son.

On the gymnasium floor below Misty, Brock, and Pikachu hovered over their fallen friend.

"Pika?" Pikachu nudged Ash's shoulder in an attempt to wake him.

No response. 

"Pika-pi?" Pikachu's confused cry was even more urgent.

"Brock," Misty gasped. "He's not breathing!"

Brock knelt down and felt Ash's pulse. In one quick motion, Brock dropped Ash's wrist and started performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation. 

"Help me, Misty!" Brock pleaded as he frantically pushed on Ash's chest. Misty immediately began giving Ash mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. 

__

Please don't die, Ash. You can't die on me! You just can't! A tear slid out of Misty's eye as she gave Ash another breath.

"Ash! No!" Delia came running into the gymnasium and felt her legs go weak at the sight of the two teenagers frantically trying to revive her son.

"Come on, Ash," Brock coaxed as he checked his friend's pulse again. Shaking his head at Misty, the two began their efforts once more.

Professor Oak came running into the gym. "Wait! Brock, Misty, move away from him." With his uninjured hand, he scooped up Pikachu and deposited him on Ash's chest. "Pikachu, I want you to shock Ash as hard as you can. Direct the Thundershock straight down into his chest."

"Pika-pi!" Pikachu shook his head in refusal. There was no way he was going to deliberately harm his best friend.

Brock, realizing what Professor Oak was trying to do, spoke up. "Pikachu, you've got to do it! It's the only way to save Ash's life!"

"Please, Pikachu," Misty pleaded, choking back tears.

Reluctantly, Pikachu closed his eyes. Sparks started flying from the Pokémon's red cheeks as he built up a powerful electric charge.

"PI-KA-CHUUUUU!" Ash's body jerked as Pikachu delivered a powerful Thundershock into the boy's chest.

Everyone held their breath in anticipation as the electric charge subsided.

"Chuuuu," Exhausted from the intense effort, Pikachu's eyes closed and he sank down wearily on Ash's chest. The gymnasium was deathly silent as neither boy nor Pokémon moved a muscle.

Suddenly, Pikachu's ears perked up.

"Pika!" he exclaimed happily. "Pika-pi!"

Moving Pikachu aside, Professor Oak knelt down and placed his hand on Ash's chest. A relieved smile spread across his face. "It worked. His heart's beating again." 

At that moment, Ash's chest started moving. 

"You did it, Pikachu! He's breathing again!" Misty exclaimed happily.

"Thank God," Delia said, wiping away tears.

"Great job, Pikachu!" Brock grinned.

"I hate to interrupt your celebration, but I believe we have some unfinished business to attend to."

All eyes turned in the direction of the gymnasium balcony. 

Jiraldan, bleeding from his mouth, slowly stood up.

"Now let me see, who will be Mew Prime's next victim?" he mused as he dragged himself to the control panel. "Fair Delia, who bravely fought to save her precious son's life?" He smirked in her direction.

Wiping the blood from his mouth, he then turned to Professor Oak.

"Her valiant defender, perhaps?"

Then Jiraldan's gaze fell upon Misty.

"The young lady with the fiery hair and the temper to match?" 

Next, Jiraldan looked at Brock.

"Her level-headed friend?"

Jiraldan then smiled evilly. "I know. I chose the Chosen One!" 

As the Pokémon collector reached for the switch that controlled Mew Prime, Ash shot up and hurled two Poké balls in Lawrence's direction.

"Bulbasaur! Chikorita! I choose you!"

The two grass-type Pokémon appeared on the balcony.

"Bulbasaur! Chikorita! Use your vine whip to stop him!"

"Bulba!" Vines shot out from Bulbasaur's back and wrapped around Jiraldan's right arm, effectively stopping him from pulling the switch that controlled Mew Prime. 

"Chika!" Chikorita's vines wrapped around Jiraldan's left arm. Both Pokémon pulled Jiraldan to the ground.

"Chikorita, use your Sweet Scent! You too, Bulbasaur! Use your Sleep Powder to take care of him!" Sparkling powder emanated from both Pokémon. Jiraldan struggled for an instant, then yawned and fell asleep.

"All right!" Ash cheered. "Great job, you guys!"

"Not bad for a guy who was dead a few minutes ago," Misty smiled.


	6. Chapter 6

As Officer Jenny led Jiraldan out of the room, Ash and his friends watched as Professor Hale attempted to release Raikou and Suicune.

"When we were growing up Jiri was never satisfied, even though we had more than enough money," Spencer said, waving his hand around the elaborate room that had once been part of his childhood home. "He always wanted more and more. He wanted the best of everything, and that included Pokémon. One of the few things we both shared was an interest in legendary Pokémon. But while I was interested in studying them, Jiri wanted to obtain them for his own. And he nearly did." Spencer reached around the base of the pedestal that held Raikou and slid aside a small hidden panel. As he pressed a button inside the panel, the glowing light that surrounded the lightning Pokémon disappeared. As Raikou dropped to the floor, its eyes opened.

"Hello, old friend," Spencer said, smiling at the Pokémon. "You're free now."

With a low growl, Raikou leapt to its feet and flew out the hole in the ceiling. Spencer then released Suicune. 

"It truly is beautiful," Delia whispered as the water Pokémon flew out to join the other legendary Pokémon.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'll go have a talk with my brother." Professor Hale left the five friends in the salon.

"Yeah, we'd better get going too," said Ash as he gathered up his backpack.

"Do you still want to go to the opening of the Prehistoric Pokémon Museum?" Delia asked.

"Nahh, I think we've had more than enough excitement for one day."

"I agree," said Professor Oak. "I think we'll head back to Pallet Town. Although…" He held up his bandaged hand. "I'm afraid you'll have to drive, Delia."

"Take care of yourself, sweetie," Delia said as she hugged her son. "I love you. Be careful!"

The three friends headed out the door to continue their Pokémon journey.

Professor Oak turned to Delia. "Ready to go?"

"Wait a second." She moved closer to him. "I never had a chance to thank you for saving Ash's life."

"Oh, I didn't do anything. Pikachu was the one who saved Ash, not me."

"But you were the one who thought to use Pikachu as a defibrillator."

Somewhat embarrassed, Professor Oak looked down at the floor. "Oh, well…I did what anyone else in the same situation would've done."

"And I also want to thank you for saving me." Delia leaned forward and kissed him.

Professor Oak's face turned as red as his shirt. "Oh my…Mrs. Ketchum." With a giddy grin, he turned and walked straight into the wall.

--- 

"I still can't believe that you tried to sell Meowth," said James as Team Rocket floated away from the mansion in their hot-air balloon.

"I can't believe that someone living in a house like that can't afford a million dollars," Jessie fumed.

"I can't believe…my eyes!" said Meowth.

"Huh?"

Jessie and James looked over at Meowth and saw two huge doglike Pokémon – one blue and the other gold – flying in the sky near their balloon.

"Oh my, those certainly look like rare and valuable Pokémon," James commented excitedly.

"Maybe Mr. Rich Guy will pay us a million dollars for those two! Let's catch them!" Jessie steered the balloon in the direction of the Pokémon. 

Realizing that they were being threatened, the two Pokémon turned to face the three interlopers. Suicune shot a blast of water at the balloon's occupants while Raikou directed a Thunderbolt into the balloon itself, causing it to explode.

"AAAUUUGGGHHH! Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!"


	7. Chapter 7

Ash, Brock, and Misty are wandering down the road in the middle of a forest when a thunderclap causes them to look up. Ash is disappointed to discover that it's really a storm and not Raikou again. The three immediately head for cover as the rain starts to pour.

Jiraldan, sitting in a jail cell, looks out the bars of the window and sees Raikou flying far off in the distance.

Suicune has returned to the reservoir next to the Ruins of Alph. As it takes a drink, an Omanyte pops its head out of the water.

Back in Pallet Town, Professor Oak and Delia are talking to Professor Hale on the computer telephone at Oak's lab.

Team Rocket is dragging themselves away from the ruins of their balloon.

Meowth (groggily): "Man, they weren't kidding when they said it was hard breaking into show business."

James (whimpering): "Now I know what they mean when they say 'break a leg'." 

Jessie (fuming): "I'm going to fire my agent. This wasn't what I meant when I said that Team Rocket wanted a bang-up ending!"

THE END


End file.
